the act of denying any responsibility or support for something
example
The politician issued a formal disavowal of the controversial statements made by his campaign spokesperson.
synonyms
disownrepudiationdenial
word origin — Originates from the prefix 'dis-' meaning 'not' or 'opposite of' combined with 'avowal' from the Old French 'avouer' meaning 'to acknowledge' or 'to affirm'.
SAT Vocabulary Level 3 — Set 59
Set 59 of SAT Vocabulary Level 3 covers 5 words: disavowal, jollity, jingoism, nonentity, bauble. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.
disavowal · noun/ˌdɪs.əˈvaʊ.əl/
the act of denying any responsibility or support for something
The politician issued a formal disavowal of the controversial statements made by his campaign spokesperson.
Synonyms: disown, repudiation, denial
Origin: Originates from the prefix 'dis-' meaning 'not' or 'opposite of' combined with 'avowal' from the Old French 'avouer' meaning 'to acknowledge' or 'to affirm'.
jollity · noun/ˈdʒɑːl.ɪ.ti/
a state of cheerful and lively joy
The room was filled with jollity as the children played games and shared laughter during the festive celebration.
Synonyms: merriment, joviality, cheerfulness
Origin: from Middle English 'jolite', derived from Old French 'jolite', meaning 'joyful' or 'merry', ultimately from Latin 'joculus', meaning 'joke'.
jingoism · noun/ˈdʒɪŋɡoʊˌɪzəm/
extreme patriotism especially in the form of aggressive or warlike foreign policy
The rise of jingoism in the political discourse has led to a more aggressive stance on foreign relations.
Synonyms: nationalism, militarism, chauvinism
Origin: The term 'jingoism' originated from a British music hall song in the 1870s that included the phrase 'by jingo!' which was a patriotic expression. It came to denote extreme nationalism and aggressive foreign policy.
nonentity · noun/nɑˈnɛnɪti/
a person or thing with no special or interesting qualities; an unimportant person or thing
Despite his ambitions, he remained a nonentity in the competitive world of politics, overlooked by even his closest peers.
Synonyms: nobody, nonperson, insignificant
Origin: The word 'nonentity' comes from the prefix 'non-' meaning 'not' combined with 'entity,' which is derived from Latin 'entitas' meaning 'being' or 'existence.'
bauble · noun/ˈbɔbl/
a small, showy ornament or trinket
She decorated the Christmas tree with colorful baubles that sparkled in the light.
Synonyms: trinket, ornament, knick-knack
Origin: Middle English 'bauble', possibly derived from the Latin 'babulus', meaning a toy or trinket.